Page 50 of Make Me Bee-lieve

Maurice lets out a cackle, and Kyle quickly spins around to cup his hand over me, casting me in darkness. “Shh, shh. Princess, it’s fine. He’s just a friend. I know he’s yours, it’s fine,” he mumbles. “I’m sorry about him. He can be an asshole, but he means no harm. I swear it.”

Maurice jingles the keys and says, “C’mon, you two. Let’s do this. I want to get back before it’s time to hit up the titty bars.”

Kyle opens his hands and places me back on his shoulder.

“Charming,” I mutter as we follow his friend out the door.

CALVIN

Iguess it’s lucky that Florian and Majordomo Elza aren’t exactly creative when it comes to hiding spots. Or maybe they weren’t trying to hide at all.

The banquet hall is still filled with the corpses of the unfortunate bees who were caught in the stampede. Left to rot. Majordomo Elza and Florian stand at the head of the room, in front of the main dining table. It still has bowls of day-old nectar sitting on it.

The smell is unbearable. I pinch my nose as I follow Ser Beatrix, who already has her stinger blade out at her side as she stalks forward. She steps over the bodies without even a glance, but every time I gingerly tip-toe over one of the corpses, I can’t help but look at them. At their opaque eyes, still staring up at the ceiling.

They didn’t deserve this. Any of it. They were hard-working members of the hive, drones and foragers, who just wanted to enjoy the evening with some food and drink. And this is how they were repaid for their efforts? My heart gives a lurch, and Polina’s face appears in my mind. My Po. My Sunshine. I’m going to avenge her fallen bees for her, and I’m going to wipe that cruel smirk off her majordomo’s face.

“Traitorous wretch,” Ser Beatrix says, her voice booming through the room.

Florian lets loose a hysterical giggle that makes me want to charge at him, but Ser Beatrix positions herself between us, like she knows what’s going through my mind. I run my fingers through my sweaty hair and let loose a growl.

“I know how you feel, Caretaker,” she says, “but we need to remain calm. Anger will make our movements sloppy.”

Majordomo Elza sneers at us as she lifts a goblet of red liquid to her mouth and drinks deeply from it. “I see you’ve managed to get past the yellowjackets somehow. Impressive,” she says, and sets the goblet down on the table. Florian continues to stare at us with his vacant black eyes. Majordomo Elza raises her hands and claps twice. “But you won’t be able to take on their entire army all at once.”

“No, you are correct about that,” Ser Beatrix says. Her mouth tightens into a thin line. I inhale sharply as I wait for the onslaught of yellowjackets…

…but they never come.

Majordomo Elza tilts her head to the side and blinks. Then she claps again. And again. And then a third time, until she lets out a shriek of frustration. “Yellowjackets! To me!” she barks.

I rub the back of my neck and let out a soft chuckle. “Yeah. I don’t think they’re coming.”

Majordomo Elza’s brows slam together, and she shares a look with Florian.

Florian lets out a nervous laugh before bolting for the door on the left side of the room. “I’m out,” he yells, and tears through the door before Ser Beatrix or I have a chance to figure out what’s happening.

Majordomo Elza shrieks again, and I clap my hands over my ears. “How dare you! Pathetic little pill bug! No, worse than a pill bug! You are nothing but a slimy, gutless worm!” she roars. It takes every ounce of willpower within me to not crack up. She whirls on me and the captain and unsheathes her stinger blade. “I should have killed you when I had the chance!”

Ser Beatrix steps forward, lifting her blade. “You never had a chance. And you never will.”

I gulp, unsure of what to do. Do I help Ser Beatrix? Do I go after Florian? Or should I move off to the side so that the two can have their epic throwdown? I’m about to open my mouth to ask when all three of the banquet hall’s entrances fly open and yellowjackets spill in like a deluge of water from a faulty spout.

Majordomo Elza smiles triumphantly and sheaths her blade. “There they are. A little delayed, but better late than never, I suppose,” she says.

But the yellowjackets ignore me and Ser Beatrix as they rush forward, buzzing madly like a kicked hornet’s nest. I cover my head with my arms and make a mad dash to the wall, trying to get out of their way.

“No!” Majordomo Elza screams. “You missed him! The Caretaker, he’s right there! Grab him!”

But they continue to ignore me and surge forward like a wave until they’re on top of Majordomo Elza, muffling her cries.

“No!” she howls. “Noooo! Get him, not me! Are you stupid! You ingrates!”

Ser Beatrix takes a few staggering steps back as her mouth falls open. Dozens upon dozens of yellowjackets form a pile on top of Majordomo Elza as she continues to scream. They buzz violently, and the air gets warmer. So warm, sweat beads on the back of my neck. My jaw falls open. Wait, I’m pretty sure I saw a docuseries on television about this once, didn’t I? Majordomo Elza’s screams die down to a whimper until she goes silent entirely.

“Oh … holy shit,” I mutter. “That was … effective.”

Ser Beatrix hurries to my side and grabs my wrist, getting ready to pull me to safety. “Quite. It’s a rare maneuver we bee fae all have. We can cause an enemy to explode through intense vibration. She literally boiled alive.”

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